Catching Bullets
by ForeverRising
Summary: AU! Amelia was never one to desperately want something. With her rich parents, she was always provided for...except for romance. However, she's content to wait for that perfect man. She never expected what all that waiting would get her. Eventual Loki/OC
1. Chapter 1

_**This is a story idea that has been in my head for awhile now. I keep dreaming about it so I figure I'm going to write about it. I'm probably going to post chapter two tonight or tomorrow. **_

**_Enjoy!_**

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><p>Music blared from tall speakers. Strobe lights danced across the dark walls as the bass made them vibrate. Bodies separated and came together in mobs as the crowd fluctuated with the rhythm. Girls in their short skirts gyrated in a show of sexuality in the hopes of getting lucky. Men with their wandering hands and suggestive eyes picked from the crowd of single women. Drinks circled through the throng; their contents of questionable origin. Outside, cars constantly came and went in a gigantic rush of traffic. Horns sounded as impatient drivers pealed out in front of oncoming traffic. Tipsy women clung to wild-eyed men as they exited the club in pairs.<p>

With growing trepidation, a young woman waited in line with two other friends. Her short brown hair was neatly straightened and parted to the left. A modest black dress clung to her curvy figure flatteringly. The neckline circled around her throat in a thin collar. The dress' satin fabric shone dully in the low city lights. In her left hand, a small black purse curled around her fingers. She looked around nervously, clearly not used to being dressed so nicely.

"Relax Amelia!" Her blonde friend shouted over the noise of the crowd and the cars. "This is your twenty-first birthday! Live a little, why don't you?"

Smiling nervously at her lively friend, she responded, "I don't know, Cecilia. I guess I'm just jumpy. I've never done anything like this before!"

Cecilia nodded knowingly while elbowing her date, "We've done this many times! Don't worry, we'll find you a nice guy to take home!" She winked at the implication causing Amelia to blush. "After all, Logan and I met in a club and now look where we are."

"I guess you're right," Amelia mumbled to herself. "I just don't know if I'm ready to dance or um…go home with guys I've never met before."

"Oh, you poor innocent girl," Cecilia shook her head and sighed. "Don't worry. We'll have you whoring it up in no time!"

Amelia trembled slightly at the thought. As Cecilia and Logan turned their attention away from her, she thought about the possible ramifications of her actions tonight. If she did end up going home with a guy, what if he only wanted a one-night-stand? She wasn't ready to just hand over her dignity for only one night of passion. She wanted something more. Her previous boyfriends had seemed to only want one thing from her; sex, sex, and more sex and of course she had given in to their charms. It seemed like that was what all men her age thought about. Suddenly, coming to this club didn't seem like a good idea at all. Amelia's mind swirled with memories of past lovers. She wished she could find that special someone like Cecilia had. Just, not in a club filled with drunken people.

Maybe she'd find someone handsome. Her mind began listing all the features that her perfect man would have. High, defined cheekbones set into a proportional face. Green eyes would be highlighted by dark brown or black hair. He would be lean but still with defined muscle and, of course, he would be tall. With her heels, Amelia stood at 5'9" at least. She didn't want someone shorter than or equal to her height. His voice would be relaxing and maybe even have an accent, though the accent wasn't necessary. As she put the features together, she was satisfied with the man she had dreamed up. Amelia chuckled at the thought of finding this man. Surely, no man existed like that. Maybe her expectations were too high…

The sight of the bouncer brought her out of her self-induced reverie. Shaking her head to clear her head, she flashed her ID and entered the doors. Amelia was greeted by pounding bass and flashing lights. The modern interior reminded her of spaceships she had seen in TV shows. Lines of people lined up at the illuminated bar to fuel their intoxication. Bartenders worked furiously to keep up with the demand. Even from this distance, she could see the sweat dripping down their faces as they ran from one end to another, trying to find that one ingredient that always seemed to go missing when they needed it most. At their panicked faces, Amelia tried to stifle a chuckle. With their wide eyes and open mouths, the bartenders reminded her of bugs.

A hand on her arm drew her attention away from the throng of people. Cecilia, with excitement shining in her eyes, dragged her to the dance floor. Feeling a bit lost, Amelia looked around and tried to copy what others were doing. It wasn't hard to establish a rhythm and soon she was losing herself in the synthesized beats. She soon lost sight of Cecilia and Logan in the gyrating bodies. She didn't care. She'd find them outside later. Men came up to try to dance with her but found they couldn't keep up with her movements and left to find someone easier. Songs came and went but Amelia kept dancing. She couldn't remember the last time she had this much fun. Every so often, her mind would take snapshots of what the place looked like in exact moments.

Panting and sweating, she left the dance floor in search of that bar she had seen when she walked in. Thirst was scratching fiercely at her throat. At last, she stumbled upon it where the line seemed to have gotten infinitely longer. Calming her breathing, she focused on not blacking out. She reached the bar after what seemed like an eternity.

"Water, please," she breathlessly asked the bartender. He gave her a strange look before reaching under the counter and pulling out a bottle of some expensive brand that Amelia didn't know. The moment the water hit her tongue, she felt relief. After thanking him and paying, she walked back over to the edge of the dance floor. Her body didn't feel like dancing anymore so she sat at one of the few unoccupied benches. Lying down, she felt a wave of sleepiness come over her and closed her eyes. When she reopened them after what seemed like a few minutes, the club was silent and a finger was prodding her awake.

She jolted up, her neck protesting to the quick movement in pain. Cursing under her breath, she rushed out of the club to find it was still dark outside. Cecilia and Logan were nowhere to be seen. Fishing through her purse, Amelia pulled out her cell phone to check the time. 4:38am. Cecilia would probably be sleeping which meant she would have to walk home. Pulling her feet out of the constricting heels, Amelia began the five mile trek back to her apartment. Every now and then, she felt eyes watching her. Peculiar, since she didn't live in a bad part of the city. The stare she felt seemed to get stronger the closer she got to her building. A nervous sensation settled in the pit of her stomach. She shivered and sped up her pace. Amelia was nearly running by the time she got to the keypad on the apartment building's front door. Hastily entering the combination, she rushed inside and sighed in relief as the nervousness that plagued her all the way home finally lifted.

Amelia took the elevator up to her apartment on the top floor. Her parents, both successful lawyers, insisted on the best for their little girl. They searched for months to find this penthouse that was both lavish and worth the price. Almost immediately, they signed the contract for it and moved her stuff in. Amelia had been nineteen when she moved out here to the city. New York always intrigued her. She loved the bright lights, the street musicians, the little cafes, and the parks. She actually worked at one of the cafes near Central Park to supplement the allowance that her parents gave her. It was less for the money and more for human interaction, but the money wasn't a bad bonus.

Checking her calendar on the fridge, she was reminded that her shift started at 9 this morning. A loud groan of disappointment resonated through her. She looked at her clock on the wall. It read 7:01am. She sighed and began preparing for her day. She took a quick shower to wash off all of the sweat from the previous night and donned her khaki pants and embroidered black uniform shirt. Amelia straightened her naturally wavy hair and applied a small amount of makeup before making herself breakfast. Eggs on two slices of whole wheat bread nearly made her toes curl in delight. No matter how many times she ate that same exact meal, she would never tire of it.

As Amelia walked outside, she breathed in the gently warmed and fresh air before unlocking her bike from the rack. She pedaled gently over the flat sidewalks and thought about her adventure last night. She laughed to herself as she thought about how ridiculous she must have looked fast asleep and sprawled out on a bench. Only five minutes had passed before she reached her workplace. After locking up her bike, she entered through the back.

"Amelia!" Her bubbly coworker Jen exclaimed. "I haven't seen you in forever! How have you been?"

Amelia chuckled quietly, "I've been good. You know, same old same old. How about you?"

"I've been great!" Jen smiled. Her eyes darted around cautiously before thrusting out her left hand.

"No!" Amelia exclaimed in happy disbelief while a grin spread across her face. "He proposed? It's about time. I was beginning to think I would have to talk to that man!"

Jen laughed in that musical way of hers, "I know, right? I mean, after six years I was getting a little impatient! I'm getting older by the minute here!"

Both girls laughed. Amelia said jokingly, "Yes, because twenty-seven is _so_ old."

"Oh, you've got no right to make fun of my fears!" Jen scrunched her nose. "You just turned twenty-one, you youngster."

"Bah," Amelia waved her hand flippantly. "You don't even look twenty-seven! You've got nothing to worry about girly, except maybe those wedding plans."

Both of them laughed in delight again as a customer approached the counter. Amelia turned on the register quickly and ran a quick diagnostics to make sure everything was working. She glanced up at the man while the register was slowly coming online. The man's brown hair was stylishly slicked to one side and he wore a plaid button down shirt with dress slacks. Even through the loose shirt, she could see that this man clearly had muscle. If it wasn't for the modern Rolex watch adorning his wrist, she would've thought he came straight from the 1940's.

"Hello!" Amelia greeted cheerily. "Welcome to Ghirad's! Would you like to try our delicious chocolate chip brownie this morning?"

The man answered almost shyly, "No thank you, ma'am."

Amelia was a little taken aback. "_Ma'am?"_ She thought to herself, "_Maybe he really is from the 1940's."_

"Alright, what can I get you?" She asked with a smile.

"What do you recommend?" He tilted his head to the side.

"Well, our coffee is always absolutely delicious. If you have a sweet tooth, I recommend any of the pastries. Our sandwiches aren't really for breakfast but the chicken caesar is one of my favorites," Amelia continued to name the things she had tried and the things she hadn't, she asked Jen about.

"May I please have a small coffee and one of those pastries you mentioned?" The polite man asked, again, quite shyly.

"Of course!" Amelia pressed the designated buttons to calculate price, "That will be six dollars and forty-nine cents."

The man pulled out a sleek leather wallet and handed her a ten. She printed his receipt and handed him his change along with his order.

"Enjoy your breakfast!"

"Thank you, ma'am. Have a good day," He told her politely as he walked out.

Jen walked over to where Amelia was still staring out the door. She nudged Amelia with her elbow and wiggled her eyebrows, "Did you get his number?"

Amelia playfully hit her friend with the back of her hand, "Of course not! He's probably got a girlfriend already with that attitude of his."

Jen rolled her eyes, "You have to put yourself out there if you want to find someone, girly!"

Amelia huffed, "The way I see it is if a guy is worth the time, he'll come to me."

"Okaaay," Jen said in a singsong tone of voice. "Don't come crying to me when you're regretting your decision of letting the guy come to you."

Amelia stuck her tongue out but quickly returned to her work as the little cafe began the busiest part of the day.

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><p><strong><em>I know it's really really extremely short for a first chapter and nothing really important happens but I promise we'll get there. Just stick with me. :)<em>**


	2. Chapter 2

**There was a summary change! I've decided to go in a different direction with this story. It's now an AU story. I just hope it can be written as well as I have it laid out in my head...There is going to be a little bit of OOC-ness for some of the characters. I just hope it's not too distracting.  
>Enjoy! <strong>

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><p>At approximately two in the afternoon, Amelia took a half an hour lunch break. She made herself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and paid for it using her employee discount. Settling into one of her favorite corners, she pulled out her iPhone and placed one ear bud into her left ear. For a moment, she closed her eyes and let the swell of the music carry her away to another world. When the choir joined in with the symphony, shivers ran down her spine. No one quite understood her attachment and involvement with music. It affected her like nothing else in the world.<p>

She was sharply jolted out of her reverie by the sound of her phone receiving a text message. It was from Jen.

_Trn around slwly. There's some1 u need 2 check out. In more ways thn 1 ;)_

She did as instructed, slowly as to not attract any unwanted attention, and her gaze locked with a man straight out of her imagination. There were the high cheekbones, the dark hair, the sinewy figure, the intelligence behind pools of deep green, the height…everything. It was like someone went into her mind and built her fantasy man out of skin and bone. Amelia found herself riveted by his piercing stare. His thin lips flashed a miniscule smile. She flashed him a shy smile in return before getting up to take his order. Placing herself behind the register, she found his eyes even more entrancing up close. Green lines spread outward from a gold ring that encircled his pupil. Gold flecks were scattered among the emerald sea that seemed of infinite depth.

"Hello," she greeted softly, looking down and tearing herself away from his gaze. "How may I help you?"

His lips twitched slightly before he spoke, "I would like a small cup of tea."

Amelia felt shivers run down her spine as his voice seemed to wrap around her in a blanket of warmth. She was quite glad that this man was a customer and not a coworker. That devilish accent of his would have been her downfall, "O-of course. Would you like to add milk or sugar?"

His answer was short, "One cube of sugar will do."

"Will that be all t-today?" Damn, her nervous stutter. He nodded with a hint of a frown on his face. "Your total i-is two dollars and f-forty-five cents."

As he fished around in his coat for his wallet, Amelia went to work preparing his order while sneaking glances at him out of the corner of her eye. Shortly after he pulled out a twenty, she returned with his drink. Her eyes wandered to his wallet where she noticed a familiar drawing with surprise.

"Are you interested in Norse mythology?" She spoke up, louder than she expected. He looked at her quizzically. "Your w-wallet," she clarified, seeing his confusion. "It has Yggdrasil on i-it. I thought you m-might know of the myths somehow."

He narrowed his eyes, "Is that so?"

She nodded, "I l-loved learning about the gods and goddesses w-when I was little. It's a-always been a pastime of mine to study m-more about it."

He appraised her with his powerful eyes. Intense pain flashed momentarily across his expression but vanished just as quickly. Amelia forced herself not to look away during his contemplation. When he spoke again, it was a low rumbling in her ears, "Not many residents here know of the tree."

"D-disappointing, isn't it?" Amelia wanted to continue this conversation as long as possible. She loved the myths and the great majestic tales of old. This man, whoever he was, was the only person she had met that knew anything about them.

"Hm," he seemed to deliberate for a moment. "Yes, I suppose so."

After a moment of stifling silence, Amelia thought it best to let the man continue on his way. He didn't seem be interested in her much anyway. After handing him his change, she ended with, "Well, have a g-good day, sir."

"To you, as well."

And that was that. Amelia let disappointment flood her system as she watched his long strides carry him through the door. She had just let her dream guy walk out of the café! She shook her head at herself. _This_ is why she would never find a man. Her stupid low self-confidence held her back from making a move every time.

Jen came bouncing through the door from the back, "So, how'd it go?"

"Serving a customer?" Amelia played dumb, "Same as always."

"Amelia! You know that's not what I meant," Jen exclaimed quietly, "That man was what you've been chattering on about for the two years that you've worked here. You just let him walk out the door?"

Frustration quickly built up in Amelia's head, "Of course I did! What was I supposed to do? Give him my number?"

"Yes!" Jen said, as if it were the most obvious answer in the world. "Go do it now; before he gets away!"

"Jen, I'm not going to go chasing after some guy that I barely even talked to today," Amelia shrugged nonchalantly. "Besides, he seemed like he just wanted to leave."

Jen pouted, "You're no fun."

Amelia rolled her eyes and continued with helping customers. She couldn't get the man out of her head though. The way his voice curled around her and made her feel warm was disconcerting. She was sure he could talk his way into anything that he wished. His eyes had seemingly pierced directly into her soul and the fact that he was somewhat involved in Norse mythology was something straight out of her wildest daydreams. Suddenly, rushing outside to try to catch him before he disappeared didn't seem like such a bad idea, despite how much he looked like he had wanted to leave her sight. Just as she was getting ready to fly out from behind the counter, a huge influx of people streamed through the door. A sigh escaped Amelia's lips as she let the disappointment crash through her once again.

By the time she was done helping every customer, she knew there was no hope of catching up to the man. Amelia decided to wait out the end of her shift but the last hour passed dreadfully slow. Every five minutes, she glanced at the clock and then at the door; wishing against all odds that time would speed up or that the man from earlier would walk back in. She knew neither of those things were going to happen but hope still wormed its way into her thoughts. She couldn't help but think about the way his eyes appeared like an endless emerald pool. The depth of emotion that they seemed to hold, even without meaning to, was incredible. When she surprised him with a question, she could see the dispassionate mask slip. He surprised her with the amount of agony and anger behind his façade. Just as soon as she saw the torrent of emotion, however, the mask was back in place. Amelia was curious as to what was causing him such pain; thinking about that torturous look of his sent goose bumps all over her arms.

She realized, with a silent chuckle, that she wanted to give the poor man a hug.

"Jen! I'm leaving!" Amelia called to the back of the café.

The small woman bounded to the front to embrace her, "We need to get together sometime, before you leave on some grand adventure and forget all about this little shop."

"Oh, please," Amelia scoffed. "A grand adventure? Maybe after college. I've still got eight years left."

Jen raised her eyebrows. "Wow. Psychology really takes a while, huh?"

"You have _no_ idea."

Jen laughed musically and ushered Amelia out the door, "Go get some sleep, girly. You look like you need it."

"Yes ma'am!" Amelia grinned and unlocked her bike. As the sun set behind the trees, Amelia barely paid attention to the ride home. She re-chained her bike to the rack outside her apartment and plodded tiredly up to the elevator. She nearly missed the ding that signaled her arrival to her floor. Her hand felt incredibly heavy as she dug her key out of her pocket and unlocked her door. The familiar smell of the place had her dragging her feet to her bedroom. A short change later, Amelia was in her pajamas and crawling under her very comfortable sheets. The last thought she had before sleep claimed her was of intense green eyes.

Amelia awoke with a start as the sound of her telephone rang shrilly in her ear. She looked over at her clock.

_1:05am. You've got to be kidding me._

Rubbing her eyes, she picked up the phone, wondering what was so important that it couldn't wait until a reasonable hour.

"Mm-ullo?" Amelia mumbled, not attempting to hide the sleepiness in her voice.

"Amelia? It's your mother," a soft voice came from the speaker.

"What's up?"

A short, weighted pause, "It's your father."

Amelia began to wake up. Fast. "What about dad?"

"He's…" A shaky breath, "He's been in a car accident. It's pretty bad."

"Oh my God," Amelia whispered. "Is he going to be okay?"

"The doctors…they don't know. _They don't know!_ They're doctors, how could they not know?" Amelia heard her mother becoming hysterical. "I just don't know what would happen if…if…"

Amelia's mind shut out irrational thought, for her mother's sake, "Mom, he's going to be fine. What hospital are you at? I'll be there."

"Presbyterian," her mother's strained voice becoming shaky with tears. "Please, hurry."

"I'll be there soon."

Amelia hung up the phone, threw on some jeans and a t-shirt and raced out the door. She hailed a cab quickly, nearly shouting the name of the hospital at the driver. Lights flashed by as the driver sped down the road. Amelia urged it to go faster despite knowing that it could only go so fast without breaking the law. After what seemed like an eternity, they arrived at the hospital. The cab barely stopped before Amelia dropped a twenty on the driver's lap and flung herself out the door. When she entered the disturbingly white emergency room, she saw her mother sitting in a corner, her eyes red and puffy.

"Mom," Amelia rushed over. "How is he doing?"

She sniffed, "I don't know. They haven't updated me yet."

"Have they caught the person who hit him?" Amelia felt rage course through her system.

Her mother nodded weakly, her neat bun falling apart on top of her head.

"Where are they?"

Anger flashed in her mother's brown eyes, "_He _is over there."

Amelia followed her mother's pointed finger and her eyes rested on a bored-looking man with ebony hair, pale skin, and long legs. Small blood spots were scattered across the white shirt underneath his black suit. His gaze was directed out the window as if he was longing to disappear. Unexpected fury at this stranger flared inside of her and she stalked over to where he was sitting. It felt like tongues of fire were spreading over her skin. With every step towards the man, the rage increased until Amelia thought she would scream. As she drew nearer, she felt a spark of recognition through her whirlwind of emotion. Those features were nagging at the back of her mind. Amelia was sure she had seen this man before.

"You," She spoke venomously before she reached him, "Are you the man who hit my father?"

His eyes flicked over to hers and Amelia stopped dead in her tracks. Emerald orbs met her brown ones and she felt like the wind had been knocked out of her.

_Oh, no. Why him? Why me?_

That slight smile that had made her heart flutter earlier now made her rage all the more intense. Amelia never considered herself a violent person, but the overwhelming urge to punch this man across his perfect jaw said otherwise. That ridiculous smirk of his wasn't helping. He only seemed to smile wider as he stood up.

"Yes," he nearly whispered. "My sincerest apologies."

Amelia's jaw dropped, "You nearly killed him and all you've got to say is _sorry?_ You're lucky I'm not suing you!"

This seemed to amuse him, "Quite," he chuckled.

"I hope you realize you're paying for all of the damages."

"Of course," he replied with the ease of a wealthy person.

She sighed softly, "Well, alright then."

An awkward silence settled on the trio. The soft sniffles of Amelia's mother nearly drowned out the TV in the corner of the room. After the longest twenty minutes of Amelia's life, a doctor that looked as tired as she felt stepped through the door on the other side of the room. A small smile on the doctor's face lifted Amelia's spirits.

"You must be the Corteza family," the doctor greeted amicably, holding her hand out to shake. "I'm Dr. Witzner. I treated Anthony."

Amelia took the offered hand, "I'm his daughter Amelia. This is my mother Giselle. How's he doing?"

The doctor's smile faltered a little, "We've stabilized him but he hasn't regained consciousness yet."

Giselle spoke up with a shaky voice, "Can we see him?"

"Yes," the doctor hesitated. "But be prepared. It's not a pretty sight."

The walk over to the room took an eternity. All of the cool blues, greens, and purples did nothing to soothe Amelia's nerves. When they finally reached the room, Giselle didn't hesitate as she rushed to her husband's side. Amelia held back tears as she took in the bandages on his head, the casts on his left arm and leg, and the brace on his neck. Bruises seemed to cover every inch of his visible skin and minor scratches littered his face and neck. The heart rate monitor on the side of the bed showed a weakened rhythm and a slowed pace. What scared Amelia the most was the amount of wires and tubes that he was connected to. One for a blood transfusion, one for liquids to prevent dehydration, and wires to monitor breathing and heart rate made him seem like a robot or a machine. It terrified her.

Amelia pulled the doctor out of the room, "How bad is it?"

Dr. Witzner sighed, "Arm broken in two places, leg broken in three. He lost a lot of blood through internal bleeding but we've gotten most of that stopped. He broke five ribs; two almost punctured his left lung. He's got a concussion, though his skull remained intact. He sustained major whiplash but his neck didn't break. Quite frankly, he's very lucky. It's almost impossible for him not to survive now."

For the first time that night, Amelia smiled, "Thank you."

Dr. Witzner returned the smile and walked back down the hall, towards another patient's room and disappeared. Amelia walked back inside her father's room and laid a hand on her mother's shoulder.

"He's going to be alright," she whispered happily to her mother.

"Oh, thank you Lord," Giselle gasped in relief.

Tugging lightly on Giselle's arm, Amelia said, "Come on. Let's get you home so you can sleep."

Giselle didn't budge, "No, you go. I want to stay here with him."

Amelia nodded and headed for the door, "Mom, call me if you need anything. I'm only fifteen minutes away."

"Okay," Giselle responded as Amelia exited the room.

The walk back to the waiting room didn't take nearly as long as Amelia remembered. She pushed open the doors, taking a deep breath to steady herself before confronting that man again. Instead of staring out of the window like before, he was leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees. His hands were folded in front of his mouth and his eyes were staring right back at her. She froze for a second before regaining her confidence and striding over to him.

"I need your information," she demanded.

He stared back at her coolly and silently.

"Don't make this difficult, please," Amelia rasped tiredly. "I just want to get home."

He stood once again and smirked, "But that would be too easy."

She rolled her eyes, "Seriously, I just want to sleep. Write down your information and let me be on my way!"

His smirk got wider and he stepped closer to her, "And what would I get in return?"

"How about I won't prosecute your ass for reckless driving?" Amelia snarled, holding her ground.

This made him laugh. His voice lowered, sending shivers down her spine. "Empty threats, my dear. We both know you wouldn't follow that through."

"Watch me!" Amelia turned on her heel and stalked toward the exit.

A strong hand grabbed her arm, "Wait."

"If you don't let me go, I'll scream," she threatened quietly, ignoring the sparks emanating from his hand on her skin.

His eyes narrowed but he relinquished his hold, "Fine. I'll tell you everything you need to know," he paused. "On one condition."

"And that would be?"

"I take you to dinner."


End file.
